All supporters of West Indies cricket, bleaching in the sun for many a year, must today be feeling cautiously hopeful about a series win against a major cricketing team. If Darren Sammy and his men are able to pull off a series victory against Pakistan, it will only be the third Test series success in the last seven years and just the second since defeating England in the West Indies in 2009. Expectation and optimism must therefore be high in the region and wherever West Indian supporters live, breathe and hope for their team to return to winning ways. Without being spectacular, the victory over the admittedly young Pakistani team was hard won, the players showing a measure of discipline and one or two flashes of Test class performances, especially in the bowling department.
Since joining the team, young legspinner Devendra Bishoo has been showing ability to spin the ball and deceive batsmen with spin and flight. But most of all, Bishoo has been manifesting resolve and an appreciation of the art and science of bowling. His calm is deceptive for someone who played his first Test in the Guyana game. Displaying a level of maturity not shown before has been fast-medium bowler Ravi Rampaul. He has been in an out of the team in all forms of the game over the last few years but now seems to be settling-in and showing an indication that he is learning. Lendl Simmons has been the most in-form batsman of the season, and he too is showing signs of maturity.
Unfortunately, the spearhead of the attack, Kemar Roach, has been out of it. The hope is that he will find himself as he seems to lack enthusiasm and application. Coach Ottis Gibson must have by now told him that fast bowling is about guts and brawn allied to skill. Senior batsmen Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have got to lead the young players such as Darren Bravo.Skipper Sammy deserves special mention. He is 150 per cent West Indian, someone who seems willing to go against any batsman with his honest military medium on line and length, challenging batsmen to get him out of their faces. His work as captain has, like the rest of his game, been honest and good without ever hinting at being brilliant. At times, especially when teams are going up against it, Sammy's qualities and never-say-die attitude are more valued than inspirational genius.
More than anything else, Sammy and the team management have been able to get this young team off the floor and able to raise their heads. No one expects brilliance, but everyone is looking forward to commitment and a display of willingness to take on the opposition. The hope is for Sammy, the team and the management off the field to show that what happened at Providence in Guyana was not a one-match fluke, but that there is something in the making here. But one of the most disappointing aspects of the game in Guyana was the state of the pitch: a slow-turner ideal for the Pakistani spin bowlers; and they did take advantage of it, Ajmal getting 11 wickets in the game and Hafeez able to turn the ball from the second over of the game. It seems that groundsmen in the region have lost completely the knowledge and art of preparing fast wickets to suit our historical strength-blistering fast bowling.
Home advantage is something every Test-playing country takes advantage of. The hope must be that the curators at Warner Park learnt the lesson from Guyana and have prepared a pitch to give Roach and Rampaul some advantage and to blunt the edge of the Pakistani spinners.